SUNDANCE 2016: Capone reviews Taika Waititi's HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE and the German wolf-as-roommate drama WILD!!!

Hey everyone. Capone in Park City, Utah once again attending the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. I’m seeing so many film a day, I can barely keep up telling you about them, but over the next week or so, I’ll have reviews of them all. Please enjoy…

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE



As with his previous films, writer-director Taika Waititi (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, EAGLE VS. SHARK, BOY), his latest, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, is about folks who live on the outskirts of life. Sometimes these people are just strange or quirky and have trouble seeing eye to eye with the mainstream; sometimes they’re vampires. But there is a unifying quality to Waititi’s works that helps those of us who grew up feeling different find kindred spirits on the screen. Although no less heartfelt, WILDERPEOPLE is slightly different, since it features characters who desperately want to remain on the outside, off the radar, away from the prying eyes of the government, the internet, or any authority figure.

Set in Waititi’s native New Zealand, the film begins with a child services worker dropping off young Ricky (Julian Dennison), who has yet to fit in with any other foster family, making this his last stop before he lands up in some sort of juvenile detention. Ricky is a sullen, rotund little lad with a stone face and healthy disrespect for everyone. His foster mother Bella (Rima Te Wiata, a famous Kiwi actress, who radiates unconditional kindness) embraces his arrival, while her husband Hec (Sam Neill, returning to his New Zealand roots) clearly doesn’t want the boy around at all in his isolated cabin in the mountain, but with Bella’s encouragement, even he finds qualities in the boy to appreciate, especially as Ricky allows Bella’s affection to win him over and his touch exterior softens considerably.

But tragedy strikes the somewhat off-the-grid household, putting this new family in a position where Ricky must return into the cold grasp of the child welfare system, something neither he nor Hec want, and as the government comes to take the boy away, Hec and Ricky head into the trees and mountains to hide, live in the wild and become the fugitives they have been forced to become. This wonderfully lively work moves from a character study of these unconventional loners to a full-bore action movie, as the authorities call out the big guns, hunting parties, helicopters, everything that the spirit of overreacting bring them.

Based on the popular young adult Kiwi classic “Wild Pork and Watercress” by Barry Crump, WILDERPEOPLE has added element not in the source material—namely humor and action. These are gloriously brought in by Waititi, who weaves a darkly subversive streak to the humor. There are some bounty hunters that assume Hec is a pervert, having kidnapped Ricky; but most of the pursuers are simply uncomfortable with anyone who isn’t fully on the grid. This desire for isolation makes them uneasy.

For aficionados of classic New Zealand, the director also drops a few clever nods to SMASH PALACE and GOODBYE PORK PIE and in the mix, making his celebration of all things Kiwi quite touching. Taking full advantage of some of the countries stunning landscapes (yes, there are still a few that Peter Jackson didn’t include in his LORD OF THE RINGS or HOBBIT movies—although there is a great aerial shot that is clearly a LOTR reference), Waititi gives this fairly small-scale story an epic feel beyond the excessive action sequences.

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE’s primary concern is well-earned laughs (a very different sort than Waititi provided in WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, but no less) and a surprisingly moving tale of a makeshift family. Neill is extraordinary as the gruff, abrasive Hec who will grow on you like the thick beard he’s sporting. And I need to see young Dennison in more movies immediately; he’s not quite like any young actor I’ve seen before. The film is certainly more family friendly than some of the director’s other films, but fans of his freaky nature will still love this audacious gem of an adventure.


WILD



Likely to be one of the most challenging and ultimately worthy efforts I’ll see all year, the latest from German actress-turned-writer/director Nicolette Krebitz, WILD (certainly not to be confused with the 2014 Reese Witherspoon offering) is one of the great meltdown films I’ve seen in quite a while. With a singular event triggering her, Ania (a truly haunting, unpredictable Lilith Stangenberg) decides that she’s not interested in what society expects of her. Her boss (Georg Friedrich) is a bully, who would rather throw things at the window that separates his office from her desk to get her attention than politely call her when he needs something; her neighbor is a nosy busy body; her sister moves out of their apartment to live with her shithead boyfriend, leaving Ania alone with her own troubled thoughts.

If you passed her on the street, you likely wouldn’t be drawn to notice Ania. That’s not a comment on her looks; more, it’s about her presence—or lack thereof. She’s one of the invisible people, and she’s know it. Nothing is expected of her, and nothing is given in return. Then one day, on the way home at dusk, she spots a wild wolf on the edge of the woods near her home. Ania is both scared and impressed with its impressive power and freedom, and this one event flips a switch in her mind that sets her on a path that many audiences may find shocking, beyond belief, perhaps even sickening. But if you go with it, suspend disbelief a bit (although not much), and allow yourself into Ania’s mind, there’s a logic to her behavior.

She sets out to trap in wolf and keep it in her small apartment, not as a pet, but as an equal. She is not attempting to domesticate the animals; she wants to learn from it and match its primal nature. I’m sure wolves are trainable, but the interactions between Ania and this wolf are so physical, so messy and even, dare I say, intimate, that I’m not quite sure how the filmmakers pulled off these encounters. When you hear an actor described as “brave,” don’t believe it until you see this film; Leonardo DiCaprio can get attacked by a bear all he wants; but let’s see if he has the guts to live with one for months on end.

Director Krebitz’s control and handling of the material is beyond confident; it’s a risky story, but she makes this relationship resemble a rough awakening, a spiritual cleansing, and yes, even a passionate romance. Coupled with Reinhld Vorschneider’s cinematography, WILD is also one of the most atmospheric experiences you’ll have in the theater this year.

Although I wish she would have sometimes, Ania doesn’t stay confined to her apartment during this process, which is clearly changing her demeanor as her connection with the wolf deepens. When she comes to work, her boss actually notices her—partly because she’s unkempt and likely stinks—and he finds himself drawn to her newfound power. I spent the entirely of WILD having no clue what would happen next or how this unnerving tale would end. But every time Krebitz brings up back to Ania and the wolf in her increasingly foul apartment, she’s running around in her underwear attempt to mimic the animal or otherwise entice it to notice her.

Through this animal, Ania is seeking to rebuild herself, re-invent her nature. There are sideplots regarding her dying grandfather and other less substantial relationships in her life, but those seem designed to show us (and her) how less interesting her life is when she isn’t connected to something dangerous and savage. WILD is designed for the boldest of cinematic enthusiasts. But even if you’re not much of a risk taker, perhaps this film might be your wolf friend and bring you out of your comfort zone as well. It’s well worth the risk and occasional claw marks.

-- Steve Prokopy
"Capone"
capone@aintitcool.com
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